By Sen. Kay Hagan
www.reflector.com

I commend your page for its Oct. 22 editorial on raising awareness about the epidemic of domestic violence.

Nearly one in four women in the U.S. have reported experiencing domestic violence. In North Carolina, 73 women and children are killed on average each year in domestic violence incidents. These statistics - and the stories behind them - are alarming and unacceptable.

That's why I was proud to vote for the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) earlier this year.

The bill included my initiative to ensure that doctors and nurses are better able to identify, assess and treat victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. As part of this initiative, I worked with experts at UNC-Greensboro to boost research on effective public health approaches and interventions that could prevent violence and abuse in the future and improve the health and safety of individuals who are currently being victimized. The updated law also includes the bipartisan SAFER Act, which provides for audits of untested rape kits and gives law enforcement resources to help reduce the backlog of rape kits - something I fought for when I served in the state Senate.

Since VAWA first passed in 1994, domestic violence has decreased by 53 percent nationally. As a mother of two daughters, I'm committed to continuing these efforts to protect survivors and prevent future crimes. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but this problem demands our attention 365 days a year.

To read this letter to the editor at The Greenville Daily Reflector's website, please click here.